


Run With The Hunted

by Josie_Lynn



Category: Game Grumps, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom, Tangled (2010)
Genre: Egobang - Freeform, F/M, Inspired by Tangled (2010), M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 11:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13833648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josie_Lynn/pseuds/Josie_Lynn
Summary: Suzy wants to keep her flower, Dan wants to know about the flowers and lanterns, and Arin just wants his fucking crown back.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had originally posted this back in 2016, but i deleted it recently and decided to repost it and just start up from where we left off. Also huuuuuge thanks to Tristen ( they're grumpygays on tumblr ) for helping me and inspiring me to start this back up again,

The first time Dan hears the phrase, he’s four years old and his mother has finished brushing his hair. He’s humming his song quietly to himself when she speaks up.

“You’re a special child, Flower.” She says. He looks back at her. Her head is directed up towards the ceiling, but her eyes are shut. Her black hair shines with the light of the sun and he sees how pretty his mother is. Then she lowers her head and looks at Dan.

“Flower. You have such beautiful hair…” She goes on, running her fingers through his hair. “And with hair as beautiful and special as yours...people will try to take advantage of you.” Dan’s eyes widen and he turns around on his stool to face her completely.

“What does that mean, mommy?” Dan asks her. She takes a moment and looks toward the window.

“Well...I think you’re old enough to know…” She opens her arms and Dan takes the hint. He climbs into her lap and looks up at her. She sees how his eyes are wide and expectant, waiting for her to continue. She smiles a weak smile and goes on with her explanation.

“When you were just a baby, some...very bad people tried to take you away from me. They wanted to take you because of your hair.” Dan’s face falls and his brown eyes begin to look misty. She starts to rub his back as she continues. “Don’t worry, Flower. They didn’t get a chance to take you from me. And they never will again.” She allows Dan to lay his head on her chest and they stay there in silence for a few minutes. When the silence is broken, it’s Dan who speaks first.

“Is that why I stay in the tower, mommy?” His voice is quiet and careful, as if he’s putting together the bits and pieces of why, how and who.

“Yes, Daniel. That is why you stay in the tower. Because I don’t want to risk someone stealing you from me again.” Dan nods his head and the silence comes back.

“I love you very much, dear.” His mother says. Dan perks up at the affirmation and smiles brightly.

“I love you more.” Dan responds. His mother looks at him and smiles before kissing his forehead.

“I love you most.”

* * *

 When Suzanne Berhow first discovered the golden flower, she had just recently celebrated her 87th birthday and feared death more than anything. She couldn’t understand why she, of all people, had to die. She’d watched her family and friends die around her before it was just her, and she just couldn’t deal with it. She didn’t want to suffer the same fate as them. She had already lost her beauty, so she’d be damned if she’d be losing her life too.

She’d heard rumors of a healing flower all around the village, but no one actually believed it was true. Except one man.

His shop lay hidden in the alleyways of her village, and when she’d made the journey there, she wondered why she’d never heard of the shop before now. The shop was a bright blue, a significant contrast to the darkness it resided in. There were beautiful flowers around the shop and birds all around. Suzy walked up to the shop door and looked inside, sighing when she saw no one inside. She turned to leave, but was confronted by a tall man with striking blue eyes staring at her.

“Well hello! What brings ya around here?” He said, smiling wide. Suzy inspected him closely. He was wearing a bright blue tunic and beige trousers, but he wasn’t wearing any shoes.

“Hello?” He spoke again and Suzy directed her attention back to his face.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry but...I’m here about a flower.” She said. The man’s smile faltered for a half second before it returned to its normal state.

“Well come on in my shop and we’ll discuss flowers!” He walked behind her and opened the door to his shop, waiting for her to enter. She looked at him once more before walking inside.

The inside was filled with even more flowers and more birds. Behind the counter stood a young woman with pink hair and dazzling green eyes. She was also smiling as the man and Suzy came closer to her counter.

“Hello! I’m Holly. I see you’ve met my husband Ross.” The woman, Holly, said. The man, Ross, leans over the counter to kiss her and Suzy feels a pang of jealousy.

“Holly, this nice woman wants to know about some flowers.” Ross said, directing his attention back to Suzy. Holly smiled and clapped her hands together.

“Oh! Well would you like to know about Junipers? Junipers represent eternity. Or maybe a Yarrow, they represent good health. Or maybe you’d rather like Marigolds, for they represent-” Holly was then cut off by Suzy.

“No, I’m looking for a very...specific flower.” She said. Holly and Ross exchanged confused looks.

“Well what kind of flower are ya looking for, ma’am?” Ross asked.

“A golden flower. A flower that is said to have been made from a drop of the sun.” Suzy told them.

Ross and Holly’s smiles faded quickly. Holly took on a panicked look while Ross went over to the window of the shop. He took a deep breath before speaking.  
“The Golden Lily. That is what you mean, I assume.” Ross’s voice was deep and serious.

“Yes. I’ve heard you know of its whereabouts.” Suzy walked closer to Ross, who then turned to face her. He looked down at her frail form and nodded.

“I do. But why do you need it?” Ross asked her.

“Please, sir. I want my beauty back. I just need a few more years.” Suzy began to beg.

“You want to use my flower for a use as selfish as that?” Ross asked, anger rising in his tone. He stepped closer to her. Suzy searched her mind for a response before a voice behind her halted her thoughts.

“Let her use the flower, Ross. We’ve known about it for years...it’d be nice to share.” Holly said.

“We found that flower and used it so we can continue our business! This old hag just wants it for her face.” Ross argued.

“Ross!” Holly’s tone shut Ross up immediately. Suzy turned to her. “I don’t believe we got your name, miss?” Holly asked.

“Suzanne Berhow. But you may call me Suzy.” Holly nodded and took her hand.

“Suzy. Ross and I will take you to the flower.” Holly looked up at Ross, who frowned and shrugged dismissively. Suzy smiled.

“Oh, thank you.”

Ross and Holly led Suzy through the town and into the forest. There they walked until they reached the edge, where on the cliff was a bright, glowing flower.

“This is the Golden Lily.” Holly told her. Suzy knelt in front of it and reached out to touch a petal.

“Don’t!” Ross said in a stern tone. Suzy’s hand shot back by the sudden outburst and looked up.

“What? What’s wrong?” She asked.

“This flower is very sensitive. We don’t touch it because we fear it could deeply affect the flower’s powers.” Holly explained.

“Then how does it work?” Suzy gave her a skeptical look.

“You sing to it. A special song that will activate its abilities.” Ross told her.  
“Will you teach me the song?” Suzy asked, directing her attention back to the flower.

Holly nodded and kneeled beside the flower. She took a deep breath then began to sing.

As she sang, Suzy watched as the flower began to glow. Its essence began to rise and circle around all of them. Suzy watched in awe as Holly and Ross began to look even younger than before. She looked down at her own hands and gasped. They were no longer wrinkled, instead they were smooth and vein free. As Holly’s singing came to an end, Suzy touched her face and felt how smooth her skin was now. Ross and Holly looked at her, small smiles on their faces.

“How do you feel?” Holly asked. Suzy was in complete awe. She stood up slowly.

“I feel...new.” Suzy told her smiling.

“Yes. It’s a wonderful feeling.” Holly smiled and stood up.

“But won’t people will see that I look different?” Suzy asked.

“We know that’s an issue. It’s why we stay hidden amongst the villagers. And the people who do know of us know that it’s best to not ask any questions.” Ross told her. Suzy nodded and began touching her hands again. She marvelled at the feeling of smooth skin. Smooth skin that was hers once more.

“Suzy. We can’t stress this enough but…” Holly said, looking to Ross.

“No one is to know about the existence of this flower. It must remain a myth.” Ross spoke in a stern voice.

Suzy looked between Ross and Holly and nodded.

“I promise.”  
  
This went on for hundreds of years. Suzy visited the shop twice a week to chat with Holly and Ross. She visited the flower at least once a month for a quick refresh. She revelled in the feeling that she could finally be beautiful again.

During their time, they witnessed the rise of a new kingdom and welcomed in a new king and queen. King Avigdor and Debra Avidan, who were now expecting their first child.

“Rumor has it that the queen’s getting worse.” Holly tells Suzy as they sit at Holly’s kitchen table. Suzy rubs her hands and frowns. She can see her age beginning to set in again. She’d had to visit the flower tonight.

“If so, it’s probably nothing too serious. I mean, she’s the queen. She’ll probably be treated by some of the best doctors in the kingdom.” Suzy said. She began to tap her foot as she grew impatient. She needed to get ready for her trip.

Ross entered the kitchen and greeted them both, waving to Suzy and kissing the top of Holly’s head.

Suzy felt it again. The envious feeling whenever Ross and Holly expressed their love in any way. She had nobody to love nor anyone to love her. While Ross and Holly expressed their love for Suzy, she knew it wasn't the same. She wanted someone of her own. She deserved that much.

“The village today has been packed full of people from the castle. They're saying the queen is getting worse and if they can't find someone to help her, her and her unborn child will perish.” Ross said, sitting at the table. Holly and Suzy frowned at the news.

“That's horrible!” Holly voiced her feelings. Suzy nodded in agreement.

“I know. Some guards even came into the shop looking for some flowers, which I found weird. I mean the queen isn’t dead yet, so I don’t think buying her a bouquet of poppies is going to make things better.” Ross said.

“I agree. Look, I’m going to get going.” Suzy said, standing up from her seat. Ross and Holly looked at her before Ross spoke.

“Listen, Suze, we need to talk to you about something before you leave.” Ross looked to Holly. Holly nodded and looked back at Suzy.

“You should probably stay away from the flower for a while.” Suzy couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“What?” She said, the anger rising in her voice.

“We need to stay away from the flower for a while. With the queen getting sicker and people searching for a cure, they might stumble across our flower. We know you’ve been trying to hide it as best as possible, but we can’t risk them seeing you going into the forest.” Suzy began to grow angry, but she knew they were right.

But she just needed a fix.

“Okay. I’ll wait a few weeks. Hopefully they find something to help the queen.” Suzy said. Ross and Holly nodded. Suzy waved goodbye and left the house.

She knew where she was headed.

Suzy waited for nightfall before she ventured out into the woods, dressed in her dark hooded cloak. She had noticed some castle guards scrambling throughout the village, but she was sure she went unnoticed.

Coming upon the cliff where the flower stood, she took down her hood and looked at the pile of leaves she’d constructed into a hemisphere to protect it. She stepped close to it and lifted it, setting it aside as the flower began to glow faintly. She smiled as she knelt beside it and began to sing its song.

Once she finished, she sat there for a few moments. She took in the silence before she heard rustling and the sounds of men coming closer.

She panicked slightly as she placed the hemisphere back over the flower. She looked for a way to escape without being seen, as the sounds were closing in on her. She pulled her hood up and ran, hiding behind some trees close to the flower.

“There it is.” A deep voice said.

“Well get it and let’s take it to the castle. We haven’t got much time.” Another voice said. Suzy held her breath, and looked out from behind the tree. She gasped at the sight.

The flower was gone.

A few days later, the queen gave birth to a baby boy. Prince Leigh Daniel Avidan, born with beautiful curly brown hair. The kingdom celebrated the arrival of the new prince with lanterns and flowers. Daffodils, English Daisies, and Traveller’s Joy. The entire kingdom celebrated this joyous day. Even Ross and Holly were happy.

But not Suzy. Suzy was too busy thinking up a plan on getting her flower back and assuring that no one would ever take it from her again.

* * *

 

Arin Hanson was 9 years old when he first heard the news about the missing prince.

“Did ya hear? Somebody stole the king and queen’s baby last night!” His friend, Barry Kramer, had ran into their shared room to tell him this.

“That can’t be real. What crazy person would steal a newborn?” Arin brushed off Barry’s wild accusation as another one of his ridiculous stories. Just like the time he said saw a glowing golden flower. He swore that he saw it and that he saw some woman singing to it, but Arin knew better.

“No, I’m serious! There are castle guards here!” Barry said excitedly, motioning for Arin to follow him. Arin hopped off the bed and followed Barry out the room to the main hall.

There, talking to Sister Marian, was a castle guard.

“We are quite positive that no new children were brought here last night, especially not a newborn. We’re dreadfully sorry.” She told him. The guard nodded.

“I see. We’ve been searching every orphanage in hopes of finding him, but no luck.” The guard spoke in a somber tone. Sister Marian put her hand on his shoulder.

“You’ll find the child. I know you will. The royal family shall stay in our prayers until the child’s safe return.”

“See?!” Barry whispered excitedly to Arin. Arin watched as the guards left and frowned.

Who would take a child away from their parents? Who would take a baby?

Arin Hanson was 13 when they called off the search for the prince. That was also the year he had escaped the orphanage with an 11 year old Barry.

“Arin, where are we even going?” Barry yelled as they ran through the forest. Arin didn’t answer him and just continued to run, no specific location in mind. They just kept running.

“Arin, stop!” Barry yelled at him. Arin kept running until he reached a cliff. The cliff Barry told him about which held a magic flower so many years ago. The flower wasn’t there. Of course it wasn’t there.

“I thought it was here, Barry. I thought you said the flower was here.” Arin spoke in a low voice. Barry stood beside him panting and looked to him.

“Arin, what? That was years ago!” Barry told him in between deep breaths.

Arin started to cry. He tried to stay quiet, but he just couldn’t.

“Arin?” Barry asked, putting his hand on Arin’s shoulder. Arin turned to Barry and hugged him tightly.

“People take what we love, Barry. My parents, your parents, this fucking flower. They even took the king and queen’s fucking baby. People do nothing but take and take and take.” Arin cried into Barry’s shoulder.

“Arin, sometimes there are things in this world that we can’t control. We couldn’t control what happened with our parents, we couldn’t control what happened with the prince, and we couldn’t control a flower.” Barry told him.

“People do nothing but take, Barry….” Arin repeated, eyes widening. “So why don’t we start taking back?” Barry raised an eyebrow.

“What are you talking about, Arin?” Barry asked him, eyeing Arin suspiciously. Arin wiped his eyes and started laughing hysterically.

“We take back, Barry,” he exclaimed, “We take from those greedy bastards who take from people like us! We could be like Flynn Ryder.” Arin grinned wide and looked at Barry. Barry knew what Arin was referring to. But he couldn’t do it.

He also couldn’t let Arin do it alone.

“Arin…” Barry began. Arin grabbed Barry’s hand and ran into the trees, making their way toward the nearest village. Arin had a bright smile on his face as he approached a shop. Bright blue and covered in paintings of flowers.

“Barry.” Arin turned to look at his friend and smiled happily. Barry sighed.

“Just this once, Arin.” Barry told him.

But he knew he wouldn’t listen.


	2. Chapter 2

Dan awoke to the sun shining brightly on his face. He opened his eyes and stretched out his arms, groaning. He scratched his head and sat up, looking around his room.

“What time is it?” He said to himself, brushing his hair out of his face. He swung his legs over the bed and onto the floor. The surprisingly fluffy floor. Dan stood and went to walk before tripping and falling onto the floor with a loud bang. “Oof!”

Dan lifted himself up and growled, looking at what caused him to fall.

“Of course it was my hair. It’s always my damn hair.” Dan huffed as he stood up and turned to see his hair on the floor and all over the bed. Dan sighed and walked to the curtain that separated his room from the rest of the tower.

“Suzy?” He called out, hoping for a response. When he got none, he assumed his mother still hadn’t returned home from her trip. Dan shrugged. This wasn’t new.

His mom had began leaving him alone when he turned 13. She felt that he was old enough to take care of himself inside the tower and was sure no one would ever discover him here. So far, her explanation had held true.

Dan rarely had interactions with anyone else, besides Aunt Holly and Uncle Ross. They would stay over and help brush his hair with his mom when it grew to the point of being able to wrap around his entire body. Other than that, Dan had no companions.

Except Charlie. The little bluebird that flew in one morning when he was 12 years old and sang with him.

“Charlie!” Dan called out the window. He watched as a bird flew up to him and perched itself onto his finger. Dan rubbed its head with his finger and smiled. “Hey, Charlie. It’s been almost 2 days since I’ve last seen you!”

Charlie chirped happily and flew into the tower. Dan followed the bird to the kitchen area, where he landed atop the stove. Dan’s stomach growled and he pouted.

“Guess I should eat something, huh Charlie?” Dan said as he opened the cupboards and grabbed a bowl. He ran into his room and grabbed the bag Aunt Holly gave him and poured some into the bowl.

“Charlie! I got you some bird seed!” Dan called out. Charlie flew up to him and landed in the bowl, chirping up at Dan. Dan smiled down at the bird. His stomach growled again and he knew he should feed himself soon.

“So Charlie?” Dan said once he grabbed himself a bowl and filled it with grapes. “What should we do today?” Dan tossed a grape into his mouth and walked over to the tower’s open window. Charlie chirped and pointed its wing out the window, as if asking Dan if they could leave. Dan pouted and shook his head.

“Charlie, you know I can’t leave. Besides, I like it up here. And I know you do too.” Charlie puffed out his chest and Dan just stuck his tongue out.

“Don’t be that way.” Dan said, looking around his home. He knew nothing of the world outside this tower other than what his mom and his aunt and uncle tell him. His mother would usually tell him about the dangers of the world, while Aunt Holly and Uncle Ross usually told him about how pleasant things were. Dan sighed. He was more than curious to know what the outside looks like other than the view he gets from his window.

He was also curious to know about the stars that appeared in the sky every year on his birthday.

He first saw them when he was 4 years old. He remembered that day vividly. It was the day his mom told him about his hair and why she kept him in the tower. That night, he snuck downstairs in hopes of a snack when he noticed the window open and lights floating up in the sky. He had ran to the window and stared up at the sky in wonder at all the lights. He had never felt happier that night.

A loud chirp in his ear interrupted his thoughts.

“Oh, sorry Charlie. I must have zoned out.” Dan gave a small smile to the bird, who flew around Dan’s head before flying over to the clock.

“Oh! It’s 8 am!” Dan exclaimed as he looked at the clock. “I should start cleaning.” Dan grabbed the broom and winked at the bird, who flew to the window again to watch Dan dance around the house and clean.

This was Dan’s daily routine. It had been his routine for almost 19 years. Would he say he was happy with it?

He doesn’t know.

* * *

 

“Arin, pay attention!” Brian called from behind him. Arin held up his hand behind him.

“Hold on.” Arin told him as he took a deep breath and admired his view.

“Arin, come on, the longer we stand here the more obvious we look!” Barry spoke in a quiet voice as he fidgeted. Arin held up his hand again and took a deep breath before turning towards his companions.

“Alright I’m done. Guys, I want a castle.” Arin smiled and took another deep breath. Brian rolled his eyes and threw Arin some rope and a harness.

“Once we get this crown, you can get your own damn castle. Now stop playing around and strap up.”

Arin put on the harness and had Brian tie the rope to him before asking, “Why couldn’t Barry go down there?”

“Because we chose you, so deal with it.” A voice next to Barry said. It was Connor. Arin had never learned his last name because Connor never told them and Arin didn’t care enough to ask.

Arin shot him a look and rolled his eyes. “Fine. But if the rope snaps, just remember that it’s your fault.” Arin said as Brian lifted a roof panel.

“No, it would be your fault for having a heavy breakfast and a very impressive midnight snack.” Barry told him, patting him on the back. Arin smiled and walked over to the open panel and kneeled down.

“Okay. I’m ready!” Arin said excitedly as Brian began to lower him down.

Arin held his breath as Brian lowered him closer to the pillar that held the missing prince’s crown. Surrounding the area were castle guards, all with their backs turned to Arin. He grinned at this as he hovered over the crown before a noise echoed throughout the hall.

The source was a sneeze coming from the guard in front of him.

“Bless you.” Arin said as he grabbed the crown. He yanked the rope twice to signal Brian.

“Thank you.” The guard said as Arin was yanked back up to the roof.

“Run.” Arin said once he was pulled through the opening.

“What, why?” Brian said before yells were heard from below them.

“There they are, get ‘em!” A voice shouted, pointing up at the group of men.

“Shit!” Brian said as he ran after Arin, Barry and Connor following close behind.

“Dammit Arin, did you speak to them again?!” Barry asked as they caught up to Arin.

“He sneezed, I was just being polite!”

“Well you being polite nearly got us killed!” Connor shouted as they made their way off the roof and into the village. Arin began to laugh hysterically as they ran. “What the hell is so funny?” Connor asked him, anger in his voice.

“We’ve stolen a crown, broken at least 13 laws, and now we’re being chased by castle guards! All the things we’ve done and it’s only 8 am! This is a big fucking day!” Arin laughs as they run across the bridge separating the kingdom from the forest.

* * *

 

“This is a big day, Charlie!” Dan said, looking around the tower and smiling. He’d cleaned the entire home and painted the walls more, smiling at his new creation brightly. “I’m finally gonna ask my mom about the floating lights!” Charlie chirped happily and flew around Dan’s head.

“Dan! Dan! Let down your hair!” He heard his mother’s voice and squealed. Charlie flew into Dan’s room, where Dan knew he’d hide inside the bag of bird seed.

Dan went over to the window, threw his hair over a hook above the window and dropped it down to meet his mother on the ground. He felt two tugs and began to pull her up with all his strength.

“Oh Dan, I don’t know how you do that every single day without fail! It must be exhausting.” Suzy said as she climbed in through the window. Dan shrugged.

“It’s nothing, mom.” Dan smiled as Suzy came close to him and hugged it.

“Well I don’t know why it takes so long.” Suzy said with a smile. She laughed and patted his head. “I’m teasing, darling, don’t worry.”

Dan laughed nervously as Suzy walked to the kitchen area and opened the cupboards. “Alright...well mom I have something I want to talk to you about.” Dan began before he was interrupted.

“Dan, could you sing for me first? I’ve had a rough morning and your voice will make things so much better.” Suzy turned to Dan and frowned. Dan nodded and grabbed his brushes and his stool, setting them down as quickly as possible. Suzy raised an eyebrow at Dan as he rushed around the room.

“Dan are you-?” Suzy was pushed into her chair and handed a brush and a large section of Dan’s hair as he began to sing quickly. “Dan, wai-” She panicked as she began to brush his hair frantically before he finished. “Dan!”

“Good we’re done! Now mom I just wanted to tell you that my birthday is in 3 days!” Dan exclaimed excitedly.

Suzy laughed. “Dan, it can’t be your birthday. Your birthday was last year.”

“Well that’s the thing about birthdays, mom. They’re kind of an annual thing.” Dan explained before brushing his hair out of his face.

“Mom...I’m going to be 19. And for this birthday….I want to see the floating lights.” Dan rushed out with a smile.

“You mean the stars?” Suzy asked.

“No, because I’ve charted stars and these ‘stars’ only appear on my birthday mom. Only on my birthday.” Dan said, looking to the window. “I just think….what if they’re for me?”

“Dan that’s ridiculous. You’re not the only one with that birthday. They could be doing that for someone else.” Suzy explained.

“Well even if they are, I want to see them. In person. Not just through the window.”

“Dan, you want to go outside? With all those evil people?” Suzy said. “Dan, you won’t be able to defend yourself out there.”

“But mom…”

“Dan. I know you. I raised you..” Suzy lifted up his chin, “And I know for a fact that you get winded when you open the cupboards too fast.” She patted Dan on the cheek and stood up, walking away.

Dan looked down on the floor and sighed. He wasn’t going to let this go.

“Mom, if you could just give me a chance-”

“Dan, drop it.”

“Mom, I know if I could just go out with you one day-”

Dan-”

“Mom, I know I can-”

“Dan! No!” Suzy yelled, catching Dan off guard. “You are never leaving this tower! Ever!”

Suzy had never yelled at Dan before. Not even when he painted her favorite dark cloak a sky blue. He had been punished that day, but she had never yelled. Dan recoiled a little, his smile quickly fading. Suzy looked at Dan and sighed

“Dan...you need to listen. The world is dark, and selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it.” Suzy told Dan. Dan looked to the floor, not meeting her gaze. She walked to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I just want to protect you, darling."

"I know," Dan frowned. Suzy poked her bottom lip out and knelt down until she was at eye level with him.

“I love you very much dear.” She told him. Dan gave a small smile before responding.

“I love you more.” Suzy smiled and kissed his forehead.

“I love you most. I’m going back out, but I will be back in time to celebrate your birthday. Now help me down the tower.” Suzy walked over to the window. Dan nodded and helped her down.

Once she was gone, Charlie flew out Dan’s room and landed on top of his hair, chirping.

“She shot it down, Charlie. She thinks I can’t take care of myself.” Dan sighed. Charlie chirped in response and Dan just shook his head.

“One day...one day I’ll see those lights.” Dan nodded to himself. Charlie chirped happily atop Dan’s head.

* * *

 Arin ran through the forest, satchel by his side as he and Barry ran into a clearing.

“Arin, what the actual fuck just happened back there?” Barry whispered to him angrily. Arin just laughed as he opened the satchel and observed the crown inside.

“We just made a clean getaway.”

“A clean getaway?! Arin, you abandoned Brian and Connor and got us chased by a freakin’ horse! What phrase in that sentence screams ‘a clean getaway’ to you?” Barry shouted. A branch cracked and Arin shushed Barry before grabbing his hand and jumping into a cave covered with a curtain of leaves.

“Keep it down Barry. If you haven’t forgotten, we’re two of the biggest criminals in the kingdom.” Arin told him, a smile on his face. Barry slapped Arin behind his head. “Ow, what the hell?”

“Arin, are you fucking insane?” Barry asked him angrily. Arin just shrugged and walked deeper into the cave before they reach another curtain of leaves. Brushing past them, Arin and Barry come across a gigantic tower.

“Whoa, Barry. Do you see that?” Arin said, pointing up at the tower.

“Yeah, it’s an abandoned tower. What about it?” Barry asked him.

“Looks like we’ve found our hiding place for the next few days!” Arin ran to the tower, Barry following closely behind. They climbed up the tower and in through the window, panting.

“Jeez, this tower is tall.” Barry complained. Arin laughed breathily before opening the satchel. Barry came closer to look inside with him.

“Now it’s just us and-” Arin didn’t remember much after that point.

When Arin regained consciousness, he was tied down to a chair beside Barry, who was still passed out. He looked down at the ropes holding him and-

“Wait...is this...is this hair?” Arin looked around him and noticed that yes, he was tied down by hair and so was Barry. “Whose hair is this?!”

“Struggling…” A voice above him spoke, “Struggling is pointless.” Arin looked around in hopes of finding the source as a figure jumped down to the floor.

“I know why you’re here, and I’m not afraid of you.” The voice spoke again nervously.

“What?” Arin questioned as the figure came out of the shadows.

The figure was a tall, lanky man in a dark blue shirt and black trousers. He was holding a frying pan and held it up as he approached Arin.

“Who are you, and how did you find me?” The man asked him. Arin gaped at him.

“I..uhh…” Arin was at a loss for words. The man didn’t look impressed.

“Who are you and how did you find me?” The man sounded more confident now as he stepped closer to Arin. Arin cleared his throat before collecting his thoughts.

“I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you but may I just say,” Arin began before flipping his hair and biting his lip, “Hi. How ya’ doin’?” The man held the frying pan up in defense as Arin spoke. “The name’s Arin Ryder. How’s your day going?” The man scoffed and held the frying pan up to Arin’s face.

“Who else knows my location, Arin Ryder?” The man said. Arin rolled his eyes.

“Alright, Dollface-” Arin began.

“Dan.” The man corrected him.

“Gesundheit. Here’s the deal. Me and my buddy Barry over here,” Arin pointed over to Barry, who was still passed out, “were running through the forest and came across your tower and-” Arin stopped for a moment and began to panic. “Wait where is my satchel?!” Dan gave a smug smile.

“I’ve hidden it. Somewhere you’ll never find it.” Arin looked beside Dan.

“It’s in that pot, isn’t it?”

When Arin regained consciousness again, a bird was flying in his face.

“What the fuck?!” A voice beside him called out, causing the bird to fly into the shadows. Arin looked beside him and was relieved to see that Barry had finally woken up. Barry, however, was not happy at all.

“Arin, what the hell is this?” Barry struggled in his chair.

“It’s my hair.” Dan’s voice startled them both.

“Arin, who the hell is that?!” Barry was furious as he continued to struggle in his chair. Arin shrugged.

“Barry, calm down. This is Danielle.” Dan looked over at him and frowned.

“My name is Dan! As in Daniel? Leigh Daniel Berhow.” Dan brushed his hair out of his face.

“Whatever. Now give me my satchel.” Arin pointed over to the pot. Dan gave a laugh.

“It’s not there anymore. Now it’s hidden where you’ll never find it.” Dan told him. Dan tugged his hair, bringing Arin and Barry’s chairs closer together.

“So...what do you want with my hair, Arin and Barry?” Dan began to circle around them slowly, “To cut it? Sell it?” Dan held the frying pan up to both of their faces.

“What? No!” Barry exclaimed, “Listen the only thing we want to do with your hair is get out of it. Literally.” Barry squirmed in his seat.

“What? You...you don’t want my hair?” Dan asked incredulously.

“What on Earth would we want with your hair?” Arin said. “We saw a tower, we climbed it, end of story.”

Dan looked between the two. “So you’re...you’re both telling the truth?” The bluebird flew out from behind Dan and flew around Arin and Barry before landing on Dan’s shoulder. The bird extended a wing and Dan took it into his hands before turning away from the two men.

“I know I need someone to take me..” They heard him whisper to it. The bird chirped as if it were responding back to him. Arin and Barry looked at each other. “Okay, Arin Ryder and Barry...I’m ready to take a deal.” Dan pulled his hair as he walked over to a fireplace, causing both Barry and Arin’s chairs to fall. Dan hopped up on the ledge and pulled aside a curtain, revealing a painting.

“Do you know what these are?” Dan asked. Arin and Barry looked up from their position on the floor and looked at the painting. The painting shown a figure sitting amongst the trees, watching lights rise in the sky. Arin assumed it was Dan himself, from the long hair with a single blonde streak.

“You mean the lantern thing they do for the prince every year?” Arin spoke. Dan’s eyes widened at Arin’s response.

“Lanterns...I knew they weren’t stars.” Dan smiled a little before looking down at the two. “Well...in three days, they will light the night sky with these...lanterns. You two will act as my guides, take me to see these lanterns and return me home safely. Then, and _only_ then, will I return your satchel. That is my deal.” Dan explained. Barry groaned.

“Yeah….we can’t do that.” Barry spoke, rocking his chair to the side as Arin continued to struggle. Dan frowned as Arin turned his chair to the side as well.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to go with Barry on this one. Unfortunately, the kingdom and us aren’t really best friends right now, so it’s no deal.” Arin said.

Dan looked down at his bird. The bird slid its wing across its neck and Arin began to fear for his life. Dan nodded his head and hopped down from the fireplace.

“Something brought you two here…” Dan said, grabbing a hold of his hair and pulling Arin and Barry upright. “Fate, destiny….”

“A horse.” Arin and Barry said in unison.

“So I have made the decision to trust you two..”

“A horrible decision.” Barry mumbled.

“But trust me when I say this..” Dan pulled them both close to him and scowled. “You can tear this tower apart brick by brick, but without my help, you will never find your precious satchel.”

“So you’re saying that if we take you to see these lanterns and bring you back home, only then will you give me the satchel?” Arin asked.

“I promise. And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise.” Dan said to Arin, glaring at him. “Ever.” The bluebird on Dan’s shoulder nodded its head. Arin had a straight face as he looked between Dan and the bird.

“Look I didn’t want it to come to this but you give me no choice,” Arin began. Barry sighed beside him.

“Oh god…” He said.

“Here comes the smolder.” Arin said, lowering his head and smirking. When he picked his head up, he pouted and stared seductively at Dan.

Dan glared at him with an angry look.

“This is kind of an off day for me, this rarely happens.” Arin said through pursed lips. “Fine we’ll take you.”

“Really?!” Dan said excitedly, letting go of Arin and Barry’s chairs. They fell face forward with a loud bang. “Oops.”

“You broke my smolder.” Arin responded weakly, Barry groaning beside him.


	3. Chapter 3

“Did you hear that someone stole Dan’s crown?” Holly whispered to Suzy as they walked through the village. Holly waved to people while Suzy kept her head down. She knew no one saw her that night nearly 19 years ago, but she still felt terribly guilty. Holly grabbed her hand and squeezed it as they walked back to the flower shop.

“Really?” Suzy was surprised by that. Who would steal his crown?

“Yeah. It was that Ryder asshole.” Holly scowled. Suzy remembered him. Ryder had robbed Ross’s store when he was younger. Suzy remembered that day.

_She had came in to pick up some flowers for Dan that morning. Daffodils and Forget-Me-Nots. Dan’s favorites._

_When she entered the shop, Ross was talking to two scruffy looking kids. One of the kids held a bouquet of primroses and had tears streaming down his face._

_“I know you didn’t mean to hurt the bird, kid. Now, my wife will be very disappointed but you’re okay with me.” Ross spoke to the crying child. The kid nodded as Ross continued. “Now, if you want flowers for death and remembrance, you might want to go with some white roses and some yellow zinnias. They’re a lot better.” Ross took the bouquet from the kid and walked off. The kid looked up at Suzy, who cursed herself for staring._

_“What are you looking at, lady?” The kid whimpered. Suzy knew he was trying to act tough, but she just rolled her eyes as she walked up to him._

_“You. What are your names?” She addressed the two. The kids stared at her before the youngest looking spoke._

_“I’m Barry. That’s Arin.” He pointed over to the crying kid. Suzy nodded._

_“No family, huh?” The boys nodded. “I don’t have a family either. All I have are Ross and Holly. The people who own this shop.”_

_“What’s so special about these people? The pink haired chick did nothing but yell at me for killing her bird.” Arin said to her. Suzy laughed._

_“To be honest, that bird was close to death anyway. You just pushed it to the edge and kicked it over.” Suzy explained. Arin laughed nervously as Ross came back with two bouquets._

_“One for you each.” Ross handed them to Arin and Barry and patted them on the shoulder._

_“Thank you.” Arin and Barry said together._

_“Look...you can come back anytime for flowers. Just...warn me before you end up snatching from my shop.” Ross told them. The boys nodded and walked over to the entrance._

_“See ya around, Flower Boy.” Suzy said to Arin. He stopped and turned around to face Suzy. He gave a small wave before exiting the shop._

“Oh, him. Didn’t think Flower Boy would have the guts to go after Dan’s crown.” Suzy responded as they walked inside the shop. Holly frowned until she saw Ross at the counter.

“Hi, honey!” She said, walking up to the counter to give him a kiss. Suzy smiled at the gesture. She hadn’t been jealous of Ross and Holly since Dan came into her life. She finally had someone who loved her.

“Hi Holly, hey Suze. How’s the day treating ya?” Ross asked. Suzy sighed.

“Dan asked to leave the tower today.” Ross and Holly’s eyes widened.

“What?” They said together. Suzy nodded, a frown forming on her lips.

“I don’t know what to do! I can’t let him leave! He’ll be noticed and what if he mentions my name?” Suzy panicked.

“Suzy, I think you should really prepare for something like this.” Holly started.

“Dan’s about to turn 19. He’s an adult now. He should have the ability to do adult things.” Ross followed up.

“And some of those adult things included going out and finding someone to settle down and have kids with.” Holly concluded.

“Holly, Ross, this is Dan we’re talking about. Besides, he won’t survive out here. He’s been in that tower since he was a baby and he has no idea what the outside world is like…” Suzy explained.

“We know, but...you can’t keep him up there forever.” Ross told her. Suzy rolled her eyes.

“Then what do I do?” Suzy asked.

“You could scare him. Take him out and show him a bad part of the outside world. It’ll terrify him into thinking the world is bad.” Ross said casually.

“Or you could take him out and set boundaries. You can’t keep him locked up in that tower forever.” Holly argued her opinion. Suzy knew she was right. Holly was always right.

“Oh, Suzy, you heard that Dan’s crown got stolen, right?” Ross asked. Suzy nodded and pointed to Holly.

“Holly told me on the way here.”

“Well did she tell you that they ran into the forest and lost two of the four responsible and a horse?” Ross explained.

“No I didn’t...why is that important?” Suzy asked him.

“Suzy. Dan’s crown, fugitives with that crown, inside of the forest where your tower is, and they’ve lost them. And a horse. A fast horse.” Ross explained. Suzy thought for a minute. Then it hit her.

“Dan.” That was all she said before running out of the shop and towards the forest.

* * *

 

Dan watched as Arin and Barry climbed out the tower window. He stepped out onto the ledge and took a deep breath.

“You coming, Dollface?” Arin called up to him. Dan looked down at the ground below. He was so excited yet terrified all at once.

“Should I…?” Dan questioned. He looked behind him at the inside of the tower and noticed his painting. The lanterns….the flowers….the trees….his dream...he had to do this. “No...I have to do this.” He said to himself. Dan grabbed his frying pan and Charlie flew onto his shoulder, chirping. Dan gave a small smile and tossed his hair onto the hook and down the front of the tower, past Arin and Barry. He grabbed hold of it and slid down, laughing as he felt the breeze against his face.

He stopped before he hit the ground. He looked below him and observed the colors. Bright greens, shimmering blues, and dazzling reds. He placed one foot onto the ground and gasped.

“It….it’s just like I’d dreamed….so soft...so warm...so...so fantastic!” Dan exclaimed as he felt the blades of grass between his toes. He watched as a butterfly flew past his face. He ran after it and ran into a pond. He looked down at it and squealed.

Charlie flew around his head and over to a curtain of leaves. Dan ran after him and through the curtain of leaves and into a clearing. He began to giggle uncontrollably.

“Dollface, you okay there?” Arin said behind him. Dan turned towards Arin and Barry, smiling brightly.

“I can’t believe I did this!” Dan exclaimed happily. Then he thought about Suzy. “I can’t believe I did this.” He said in a somber tone. “I can’t believe I did this!” He said again. “Mother would be so furious….”

“Dan?” Arin questioned. Dan began to pace back and forth.

“I mean what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her right?” Dan looked to them for confirmation. Arin and Barry looked at each other, unsure of how to answer.

“Oh god, this would kill her!” Dan cried.

Arin and Barry watched as Dan began to run around various areas around them, investigating every area and giggling. He would voice his doubts, going on about how he should go back home, even though he would scream about how much fun he was having. Eventually they found Dan curled up beside some rocks, head in his hands.

“Listen, we can’t help but notice that you’re having a little bit of a war within yourself.” Arin knelt down beside Dan. Dan looked up at Arin with sad eyes.

“You do?” Dan asked, frowning.

“Now I’m only picking at the bits and pieces here: Overprotective mother, forbidden field trip, this is serious stuff. But it’s all a part of growing up. A little rebellion now and then is good, healthy even!” Arin explained. Dan wiped his eyes and looked up at Arin.

“Really? You think so?”

“I know so. Now, does your mother deserve it? No.” Arin said. Dan’s face dropped as he shook his head. “Will it break her heart and crush her soul? Absolutely.” Dan whined at Arin’s responses. He didn’t want to hurt Suzy. “But you just got to do it.” No. No he did not have to do it.

“Break her heart?” Dan whispered.

“In half.” Arin stood up and looked over to Barry, shaking his head solemnly.

“Crush her soul?” He whimpered.

“Like a grape.” Arin helped Dan off the ground.

“She would be heartbroken…you’re right.” Dan began fiddling with his hair as he thought over his choices. He could go back to the tower and continue living his everyday life. Cleaning, singing around the house, and never leaving. But he had to see the lanterns.

“I am right, aren’t I?” Arin placed a hand on Dan’s shoulder. “You know I can’t believe I’m saying this but...I’m letting you out of the deal.” Dan looked at Arin with wide eyes.

“What?” Barry and Dan said together.

“That’s right.” Arin said, walking in front of Dan and grabbing his frying pan and Charlie, who began to chirp angrily, “But don’t thank me. Let’s just turn around and get you home.” Arin handed the pan and the bird to Dan and stood him up.

“Here’s your pan and your pigeon. You go back home, I get my satchel, you continue having a perfect relationship with your mother based on mutual, and we part ways as unlikely friends.” Arin said as they began walking back in the direction of his tower.

“No, Arin.” Dan said firmly, pushing him away. “I am seeing those lanterns.” Arin groaned.

“Oh come on! What is it gonna take to get my satchel back?” Dan held up the frying pan to Arin’s chin.

“I will use this.” He spoke in a harsh tone. Barry chuckled behind them before a bush began to rattle and shake. Dan gasped and jumped onto Arin’s back.

“What is it? Is it ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for me?!” Dan whispered, pointing his pan at the bush. A rabbit hopped out the bushes, causing Barry to erupt into bursts of laughter behind them.

“Stay calm. It can probably smell fear.” Arin said with a straight face. Dan laughed nervously as he climbed off of Arin.

“Sorry...guess I’m just a little bit jumpy.” Dan laughs nervously as Barry comes to stand beside Arin.

“It would probably be best if we avoid ruffians and thugs though.” Barry said. Arin nodded in agreement.

“Yeah...that would probably be best.” Dan smiled and laughed.

“Are you guys hungry? I know a fantastic place for lunch.” Arin exclaimed, throwing his arm around Barry.

“Wait you're not talking about-?” Barry was cut off by Arin pressing a finger to his mouth.

“Where?” Dan smiled. Arin grabbed Dan and pulled him along.

“Oh don’t you worry. You’ll know it when you smell it!” Arin exclaimed as they walked.

“Arin, what the hell are you doing?” Barry whispered to him.

“Don’t you worry, Barry. I’m getting our satchel back.” Arin whispered back, a faux smile plastered on his face. Barry groaned.

This was going to be a long 3 days.

* * *

 

Suzy ran into the forest, determined to make it back to the tower. She had to make sure Dan was okay. He had to be okay.

He had to still be inside the tower.

Suzy stopped before going into the clearing to catch her breath. She had been running since she left Ross and Holly’s shop.

She heard a rustling in the clearing. She held her breath as she walked closer. “Please be Dan...please be Dan…” she whispered. As she walked out, a horse jumped out, shocking her. She jumped back before sighing.

“It’s just a castle horse.” She said. Then it clicked. “Where’s your rider?” Her heart dropped. “Dan!” She turned and ran through the curtain of leaves, making her way to the tower.

“Dan? Let down your hair!” She called out. She got no response. “Dan?!” She yelled. Still no answer. She ran over to the side of the tower, where she barricaded the only entrance with rocks. She began to pull the rocks out frantically, hoping that Dan was just asleep. Once she tore through the entrance, she ran up the stairs, yelling his name as she ascended.

She pushed up a tile covering the stairway and entered the silent tower.

“Dan?!” She called out. She ran up to his room and pulled the covers off his bed, revealing nothing but pillows. She looked through all of his childhood hiding places, but found nothing. She ripped down his curtains and still found nothing.

“No...no no no..” She whispered to herself. She pulled at her hair and fought back tears before a light in the side of her eye caught her attention. She walked over the the stairs slowly and lifted up a loose board to reveal a satchel.

“What the?” She said to herself as she grabbed it. She doesn’t remember owning a satchel. She opened it and pulled out the contents. A wanted sign and...Dan’s crown.

“Fuck!” She said, dropping the crown in horror. Someone brought Dan’s crown here. What if they were trying to convince Dan he was the lost prince? They couldn’t do that to him. They wouldn’t, right? Suzy inspected the wanted poster and growled.

“ _Ryder_.”She hissed. Her eyes lit up with anger. Flower Boy had took her Flower. Without a second thought, she went over to her dresser drawer and pulled open the first drawer, revealing a sharp dagger. She picked it up and inspected it.

“I’m gonna cut all your pretty little petals, Flower Boy.” She whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Arin, Barry and Dan walked deeper into the woods until they came across a shabby looking pub.

“The D Club?” Dan questioned. It was an odd name for a restaurant. Were all places named this way?

“Yup. Not trying to brag, but we established this baby 12 years ago. Named it and everything.” Arin gave a smug smile.

“We eventually got banned from it two years ago. Because Arin decided to be an asshole and punch Brian in the balls.” Barry looked over at Arin with a sharp gaze. Arin shrugged.

“I was drunk.” 

“You were acting like you were 17, you idiot.” Barry groaned. Dan’s eyes lit up at the mention of age.

“Are you 19 too?” He spoke excitedly. Arin and Barry looked to each other and began to laugh.

“Oh, no no no. We’re way past 19, Dollface.” Arin patted Dan’s head. He scowled at him.

“I’m 25. Arin’s 27. We’ve been around for way too long.” Barry laughs as they walk to the entrance of the pub.

“Oh.” Dan said quietly.

“But Arin, tell me how we’re going to gain access into this place if we’re banned?” Barry questioned.

“Don’t worry, dude. I’ve got this.” Arin said to his friend. He looked over at Dan and smirked. “Listen Dollface, you’ll love it in here. We needed to find a nice, quaint place for you to chow down so that you don’t feel too threatened to turn around and go back to your tower.” Dan nodded. Barry sighed as Arin opened the door.

“Jack! Your finest table!” Arin exclaimed as he threw an arm around Dan’s shoulder. Dan gasped and held the frying pan up to his face as they walked deeper inside. He was surrounded by ruffians and thugs. Arin had taken him into a bar filled with these people.

“You smell that, Dollface? One part is man smell and the other part is  _ really  _ bad man smell. All together it just smells like the color brown.” Arin patted Dan’s shoulder and shook him lightly. Charlie huddled closer to Dan’s neck, shivering. Dan looked around in fear and anger. He was ready to scream before a hand on his shoulder took him out his thoughts. He looked to his side and saw Barry.

“Don’t worry, Dan.” He simply said. Dan didn’t know if he could trust him, but he took a deep breath and kept walking forward with Arin.

“That’s a lot of hair.” Dan heard behind him. He turned to see a man touching his hair. Dan cringed and pulled his hair from the man’s hands.

“Yeah, he’s growing it out.” Arin sounded smug when he was talking about Dan’s hair. It wasn’t his hair, so he shouldn’t talk about it so fondly. Only Dan could do that.

Dan backed up into a soft form and turned around to see a large man staring back at him. Dan held out his pan in defense and his hands shook.

“Hey Dollface, you doing okay?” Arin walked over to Dan. Barry followed closely behind, trying to avoid eye contact with the patrons. “We could take you home if this is all too much for you.” Arin threw his arm around Dan’s shoulder and guided him back towards the entrance. “I mean, this is a five star joint and all so if you can’t handle this place, maybe home is the best place for you.” Arin said before the entrance slammed shut.

“Is this you?” A man growled, holding up a wanted poster. Arin laughed nervously as he grabbed it from the man.

“Yeah. It’s him.” Another voice behind him spoke. Dan looked to see a tall, handsome man walking up to Arin. He was surprisingly clean cut, considering the environment they were in.

“Jack, buddy! How ya doing?” Arin smiled as Jack grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up off the ground.

“Don’t get all buddy-buddy with me, Ryder. You’re banned here, remember?” Arin laughed at Jack.

“I mean come on, Jack. You wouldn’t know about the D club if it weren’t for me, anyway.” Arin smirked. Jack glared at Arin and directed his attention to Dan. Dan shook as Jack ran his eyes up and down his body.

“Who’s this?” Jack asked. Barry came up beside Dan.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s not a part of this.” Barry put his hand on Dan’s shoulder. Dan relaxed just a bit. Barry was being really nice to him, unlike Arin. Jack grabbed Barry and yanked him towards a wall.

“Someone go fetch some guards.” Jack said to the crowd around them, “Turning these two in is gonna make me a fortune.”

“Why do you get to turn them in?” A gangly man spoke up. A few other men began to argue that point. Some thought that they should turn him as they needed the money most. This lead to a screaming match amongst the group, where Jack and the gangly man raised their fists towards Arin and Barry.

“Everyone stop!” Dan yelled amongst the crowd. No one heard him. “Give me my guides!” He yelled louder. No one heard him still. Dan looked around him and noticed a loose beam above Jon and the man. Dan tossed his hair up and pulled it down, causing it to fall, barely missing the two men below it. The pub went silent.

“Put them down!” Dan screamed. Everyone looked back at him. “Look, I have no idea where the hell I am and I need those two to take me to see the lanterns because I’ve been dreaming about them my entire life. Find your humanity!” Dan spoke exasperatedly. “Haven’t any of you ever had a dream?” The two men walked up to Dan. Even though he was taller, he still felt intimidated and backed up into the counter.

“Yes. I had a dream once.” Jack spoke. Dan looked down at him with a slight blush at his confession.

“Me too.” The gangly man spoke.

“We all do.” The crowd said. 

“Well...what are they?” Dan asked nervously.

“I wanted to act.” Jack spoke. “I wanted to be in musical theatre. But...no one would hire me. Because I broke some guy’s leg before an audition.” 

“I’m sure you didn’t mean to.” Dan said.

“No, I meant it. The bastard had the nerve to tell me ‘break a leg’ before I went on. So I broke his.” Jack said angrily.

“He learned afterwards that it meant good luck, but they’d already banned him from every theatre.” The man spoke.

“Well, Austin, it’s not my fault he didn’t speak like a normal person!” Jack argued. The man, Austin, laughed and patted Jack on the shoulder.

“Well...what about you Austin? What did you want to do?” Dan spoke, a smile spreading across his face. Austin blushed as he spoke.

“I wanted to find love. But I’m too awkward and scrawny. Women only go for really strong, beefy guys. While I...I’m just seen as weak.” Austin frowned. Dan frowned with him.

“I wanted to be a baker.” A voice from the crowd yelled.

“I wanted to be a florist!” Another voice screamed.

“I wanted to play the piano!” The pub erupted into conversations about their dreams. Dan smiled as he listened to all the stories. One man wanted to be a painter, another wanted to write music. One man wanted to be a mime and Dan clapped as he performed a short routine.

“What about you two?” Jack looked over at Arin and Barry, who were hanging on hooks on the wall.

“What?” They said together. Austin took them down.

“What are your dreams?” Jack asked again. Arin laughed.

“Yeah, we aren’t joining this conversation.” Arin smiled, before they were surrounded by swords and knives.

“I wanted to be a writer.” Barry squeaked out, hands held up in defense.

“I wanted to be rich.” Arin said simply. The pub cheered at their dreams as Dan giggled.

“Dan, tell us more about your dream!” A man, who had introduced himself as Mark, asked. Dan smiled as he thought about his dream.

“I want to see the floating lanterns. I’ve been watching them from my window for years and for once, I’ll finally be able to see them in person!” Dan exclaimed. “I’m actually glad I left my tower for this.” He smiled. Mark patted him on the back and raised a glass.

“To Dan! For helping us realize our dreams.” Mark said, smirking at Dan. Dan blushed at Mark as the pub raised their glasses. The pub door slammed open and a man with green hair rushed in.

“I found the guards!” He exclaimed with a smile. Dan felt a tug on his arm as Arin and Barry ran past him. Arin had grabbed him and pulled him over the counter.

“Shh.”  Arin said. Arin looked over the counter to see the guards walk in with two men. Brian and Connor.

“Shit!” Barry whispered. A hand slammed down on the counter above them and Dan looked up. He locked eyes with Jack, who pointed a finger towards an area behind the counter. Dan crawled over to area and watched as Jack pushed down a lever, causing the floor to creak open and reveal a secret passageway. Arin and Barry crawled over towards Dan and sighed.

“Go. Live your dream.” Jack said with a smile.

“I will.” Arin said.

“Your dream stinks. I was talking to him and Barry.” Jack said, pushing Arin into the passage.

“Thank you, Jack.” Dan said, kissing him on the cheek. Jack froze and gave a small smile.

“Good luck, Dan.”

* * *

 

“I’m actually glad I left my tower for this.”

Suzy couldn’t believe what she had heard. How could Dan be happy around such dangerous people? People who would try to take advantage of him because of his hair?

“Well hello there, miss.” A voice behind her spoke. She froze. “You gonna speak or just gonna stand there like a statue?” She turned and faced a man with flaming red hair and a playful smirk on his lips.

“What do you want?” Suzy growled at the man. He just laughed, a deep lingering laugh that brought shivers down Suzy’s spine.

“I don’t want anything. Just wanted to know what you’re doing standing here outside this dangerous place?” The man asked her, leaning against the building.

“If you must know, I came for my son.” Suzy told him. This caught the man’s attention.

“Brunette beauty with all the hair? That’s  _ your  _ son?” Suzy hesitated before nodding her head. Why the hell was this man so interested in Dan? And “Brunette Beauty”? 

“Well….I can see where he gets his looks from.” The man winked at Suzy. Suzy rolled her eyes. Then she thought. She could use him. She flipped her hair back and giggled.

“Oh stop it, you’re making me blush.” The man smiled and leaned close to Suzy before he was halted by the tip of a dagger being pressed into his nose. “Now, where does that tunnel go?”

The man looked at the blade then back at Suzy. He then began to laugh.

“Listen, miss. You don’t need a knife to convince me to help you.” Suzy gave him a confused look.

“So you’ll help me? Just like that?” Suzy asked. The man nodded.

“Of course. Mark Fischbach is always happy to help.” The man, Mark, smiled. “But under one condition….” Suzy groaned. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

“Look, if you want a piece of this, you’ll have to take me out first.” 

“As if. I want your son.” Mark smiled. Suzy stared at him.

“What?”

“Your son. I want him.” The man repeated as if it was just normal.

“I’m not selling you my son!” Suzy exclaimed.

“Please, I just want to make your son happy. If I lead you to where the tunnel ends, I get your son’s hand in marriage.” Suzy laughed at this.

“You just met my son, why do you want to marry him?” Mark leaned close and spoke into her ear, causing her blood to run cold.

“Because I know he’s not your son.”


	5. Chapter 5

The cave is dark and cramped, the only source of light being a torch that Arin had picked up on the way inside. Dan shivered, trying to ignore the constant tug of his hair being slightly caught on sticks and rocks as they walked deeper inside the passage. There’s a sudden pat on Danny’s shoulder that makes him jump until he realized that it was just Barry. 

“Didn’t know you had that in you back there.” Barry stated as they walked through the secret passage. The younger man beams, a sudden bounce in his step.

“I know!” Dan squealed happily before composing himself. “I know.” He said calmly. Arin rolled his eyes and Charlie chirped, flapping his small wings over to Dan so he can rest on the man’s shoulder.

“So Arin and Barry…” Dan began, looking at his two companions, “Where are you two from?”

“Whoa Dollface, we don’t do backstory.” Arin said, making Dan pout.

“We’re more interested in you. Now if I recall, we shouldn’t ask about the mother-” Barry asked before Dan interrupted.

“Nope.”

“Or about the hair-”

“Nuh uh.”

“I’m a little too frightened to ask about the diseased pigeon-”

“Charlie’s a bluebird.”

“Whatever. But my question is...if you wanted to see the lights so bad….why haven’t you ever went yourself?” Dan laughed nervously and looked to his shoulder at Charlie.

“Well…” The ground started to rumble. Dan looked around him, watched as stones began to jump on the ground from the rumbling. He then saw a swarm of light and sound moving closer and closer. “Guys?” Dan said, watching as a man comes into view. “Guys?!” Dan said louder, before a  hand grabbed him and pulled him along. He looked forward to see Arin pulling him along down the path and into a bright clearing. They’re immediately met with a dead end, except for a ladder that lays against the edge of the cliff.

“Dammit, Arin, where are we gonna go?” Barry panicked. Arin didn’t speak as a horde of guards came running towards them. Dan looked to Arin and pointed his pan to them.

“Who are they?” He asked.

“They don’t like me,” Arin responded, eyes wide. A crashing sound from below the cliff made Dan look over and see two men glaring up at the group.

“Who are they?!” Dan asked him.

“They don’t like me either.” There goes the ladder idea. Brian nudges Connor, nodding up at them and scowling, making Arin swallow nervously. 

“Arin-” Dan began before Arin cut him off.

“Let’s just assume that everyone here doesn’t like me!” Arin rushed out.

“Ryder,” a guard stepped up to them, drawing out a sword, “This ends here. Surrender now, and maybe we’ll let you live.”

“That’s an enticing offer,” Arin responded, “But I’ll have to pass. Arin Ryder surrenders to no one!” Quickly Arin snatched the frying pan out of Dan’s hands, making swift movements over to the guard to smack him in the head with it. The guard quickly fell to the floor unconscious, yet the fight continued, the other guards quickly coming after Arin with their swords in hand. Barry used the distraction to his advantage, taking Dan by the arms to lead him over to the ladder. 

Barry went first, for the sake of Dan, quickly climbing down the first few steps. “Come on,” Barry urged, looking up at the other man. 

“But… aren’t those guys-”

“Yes, they’re trying to kill us too, but we don’t have any other choice. We can outrun them, I swear.” That was the chemistry that Arin and Barry had, after all. Arin was the fighter and Barry always had a plan of escape and was quick on his feet. Dan sighs, biting his lip nervously before he nods, moving to go down on the ladder. Quickly the two of them climb down until their feet are met with the ground. Barry doesn’t hesitate to grab Danny, lifting him up into his arms easily as he sprinted away from the two other men coming after them. “God, you’re as light as a feather!” Barry laughed despite the situation. 

Danny kept his eyes over the older man’s shoulder, watching the two thieves run close behind them. He held onto Barry tighter, nervousness in his voice when he states, “is that really necessary to bring up? Those guys are getting close, you know!” 

“Yeah, I know.”

“What about Arin?” Dan looked back up the cliff, seeing Arin’s figure continue to fight the guards with his pan. It was almost comedic to look at. Almost. 

“He’ll be fine,” Barry assured the younger man. He can see another cave up ahead, which was their only shot at possible freedom. Dan continued to watch in slight horror and awe as Arin jumped onto the water dam, sliding down the shoot to catch up with the two of them. The wood creaked under Arin’s weight and breaks from the pressure, vaulting Arin in the air as the entire structure begins to break along with the shoot. 

“Arin!” Dan shouted. The older man landed down on the ground harshly, but he came back up quick, stamina the only thing making him move forward at this point. “Oh, God, Barry, the dam-” 

Barry looked behind himself with wide eyes. The dam broke entirely, the water that was being held behind it rushing down the cliff and toward them in fast speeds. He cursed loudly, willing his body to run for the cave a little quicker. Brian and Connor are swept away with the water and a large boulder begins to fall from the pressure of the water. Arin finally catches up with them, pushing Barry from behind to run quicker. They barely make it inside the cave before the boulder smashes at the entrance, trapping them inside.

Barry let Danny back down onto his feet and the three of them make quick work of trying to find an escape. Arin desperately tried to grab at the rocks until he pulled back harshly, crying out from the rock cutting into his palm. “Shit, Arin, are you okay?!” Barry yells. 

“I’m fine, just keep looking,” Arin reassured quickly. Danny watched as the water continued to seep into the small cave, rising up to his waist. Arin tried to swim under it but he came back up gasping. “It’s pitch black down there.” 

“Fuck,” Barry cursed again and leaned against the rocky wall. The water is up to all of the men’s chests now. 

“I should have never left my tower,” Danny cried, holding himself tightly. Charlie desperately chirps from his shoulder. “Ryder, I’m so, so sorry. This is all my fault,” He sobs.

Arin is quiet as he looked over at Barry. Quiet, Arin whispers. “Hanson.” He said simply.

The younger man looked up at him, confused. “What?”

“Our last names aren’t Ryder,” he explained. “My real name is Arin Hanson.”

“Barry Kramer.” Barry adds. 

“Well, I have magic hair that glows when I sing,” Danny laughed wetly through his tears. Both men looked up at him with wide eyes.

“What?”

Dan gasped in realization and held his wet hair. “I… I have magic hair that glows when I sing!” The water has risen to their throats and all three men swim up quickly, lifting their heads. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine,” he sang quickly before taking a deep breath as the water finally reached the top of the cave, cutting off all air supply. Regardless the young man continued the song in his head, and somehow... it worked.

The cave glowed as Dan’s hair lighted up a brilliant blonde, radiating light. Arin gasped out in surprise before shutting his mouth quickly once water flowed into his mouth. The two thieves stare in awe before Dan snapped them out of it, pointing at a pile of loose rocks. The three of them quickly swam toward it, the light of Dan’s hair already beginning to fade as they try to move the rocks. Dan’s eyes are swarmed with black and he could feel himself beginning to faint from lack of air before his body is pushed forward by sudden pressure. They managed to make a hole in the cave and all three men come tumbling out of it and into the river from outside. 

Dan rises, gasping deeply to get air his lungs had lost. Arin came up right after him, and then Barry. Charlie floated on top of the water, swimming to the land next to them. Dan followed the small bird, helping him up onto the grass as well as himself. Arin and Barry land on either side of him, all of them gasping for air still. 

Dan got up first, hauling himself out of the water entirely and up onto his bare feet. He dragged his hair out of the stream, wringing it out as the other men still lay on the ground, shell-shocked. 

“His hair glows,” Arin coughs out water and lifted himself up with his hands. “I did  _ not _ see that coming.” 

“Guys-” Dan started before being interrupted.

“Why does his hair glow?” Barry looks up at Arin, wide eyed. 

“Um, guys-”

“What the fucking hell, man,” Arin whispered, a hand running through his wet hair. 

“Guys!” Dan shouted, getting both of their attention. He sighed, getting the rest of his hair out of the water. “It doesn’t  _ just _ glow.” 

The two thieves stared at each other, trying to imagine what on earth that could possibly mean. 

* * *

Arin, Barry and Dan all sat around a crackling fire, the night air sending chills up their arms. Dan wrapped his brown, curly locks around Arin’s hand, the man staring down awkwardly as Dan worked.

“So, you’re being awfully cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand,” Arin stated and swallowed nervously. He winced as Dan tightened the hair on his hand and the younger man quickly apologized under his breath. 

“Don’t… freak out,” Dan said to them as he looked up at the two men anxiously. Both of them don’t say a word. He sighed, closing his eyes as he began to sing. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine,” the words come out beautifully from Dan’s mouth and Arin and Barry watch as his hair started to slowly glow like last time. “Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design,” the glow went from Dan’s roots and spilled down from there, making its way over to Arin’s hand slowly but surely. Arin stared down at it with big eyes before continuing to look at Dan. “Save what has been lost, and bring back what once was mine… What once was mine,” He finished softly before opening his brown eyes again. 

Barry watched from the sidelines with Charlie on his leg who looked rather smug for an animal. Slowly the thief lifted his hand to unravel the hair from it. Surprisingly, his hand was completely clear from the cut that had once been there before. Barry gasped as his hand flew up to his mouth. Arin himself looked like he was about to scream. “Don’t freak out!” Danny quickly repeated himself. 

“I-I’m not freaking out-” Arin stuttered. “Are you freaking out? I-I’m just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities it possesses, how long has it been doing that exactly?” He grinned alarmingly big, slightly rocking in place. 

“Uhm, I guess forever? It’s always been like this.” Dan explained, his fingers running through his curls out of habit. “Mother said when I was a baby people would try to cut it and take the power for themselves, but…” He moved his hair back, showing one lock of hair that was jet black. “Once it’s been cut, it turns black and loses its power completely.” Dan sighed. “A gift like mine has to be protected. That’s why Mother never… That’s why _ I  _ never left that…” He trailed off. 

“That’s why you never left that tower,” Barry finished for him and Dan nodded sadly, looking at the ground. “And you’re still going to go back?” 

“No,” Dan said quickly. “Yes?” He put his head into his hands, groaning. “...It’s complicated.” Charlie snuggled into his hair comfortingly and Dan smiled at the effort, petting the bird lightly. He took a deep breath before leaning back up, his hands sliding down his hair down to his shoulders. “So… Arin Hanson and Barry Kramer, huh?” 

Arin was the first to react, shrugging. “Yeah, well… I’ll spare you the sob story but Barry and I were orphans. I read this book once about Flynn Ryder, and I’d read it to all the other kids at the orphanage.” 

“That’s how we first became friends,” Barry smiled. 

“It was a book on the tales of Flynn Ryder. He had all the  _ money _ , all the  _ girls… _ Everything. He was perfect in the eyes of someone who had absolutely nothing,” Arin sadly explained and Barry nodded along. 

“Was he a thief, too?” Dan asked innocently. 

“Aah… Well, no.” The older man frowned, running a hand through his long hair. “In the stories, he could do anything since he had so much money. He could do whatever he wanted, he could go wherever he wanted, so to us… well, to  _ me _ , really… that just seemed like the better option.” Arin looked up at Barry. “I kind of dragged Barry down with me because I was too scared to do it on my own. I’m lucky he still tolerates me after everything I’ve put him through.” 

Barry put a hand on his friends shoulder, giving him a quick side hug. “Anywhere with you is where I want to be. That’s how it’s always been and how it’ll probably always be. That’s just fine with me. And besides the constant death threats, it’s really not all that bad.” He joked lightly and Arin smiled. 

“You can’t tell anyone about this. A fake reputation is all a man has,” Arin said as he wrapped his arm around Barry and gave him a shake. 

“We wouldn’t want that,” Dan smiled. There’s a comfortable silence, the only sound the crackling of the fire and other nightly things. “Just so you know,” the younger man spoke again. “I like Hanson and Kramer much more than Ryder.” 

The two men gave him a smile before Arin stood up and clapped his hands together softly. “Well, we should go get some more wood if we want it to last through the night. Come with me Barry, yeah?” 

“You got it,” Barry stood up with Arin, looking over at Dan. “You going to be okay by yourself?”

“I think I can handle myself, thank you,” Dan replied in a snarky tone. Barry just laughed before the thieves finally walked into the darkness of the forest, leaving Dan all alone. But he wasn’t quite alone, unbeknownst to him. 

“Oh, I thought they would never leave!” A voice came from behind Dan and he looked back in shock. There stood Suzy in her dark cloak, a poisonous smile on her face.

“Mother?” Dan gaped. 

“Hello, dear.” Suzy walked closer to Dan, but not close enough that she would touch the illumination of the fire. She was already getting older, grey hairs sprouting on her head and wrinkles adorning her face. She didn’t want her boy to see her look so different, it would only arose questions. 

“I-I… I don’t… How did you find me?” The young man stood up, a perplexed look on his face. Suzy just chuckled as Dan walked up to her. She wrapped her hands around his shoulders, petting his hair softly as she looked him right in the eye. 

“It was easy, really. I just listened for the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that.”

Dan looked to the ground guiltily. “Mother-”

“We’re going home, Daniel.” Suzy interrupts quickly. “ _ Now _ .” There’s a commanding tone in her voice as she spoke, a tone that Dan wasn’t at all used to. He looked back up at her. 

“Mother, you don’t understand, I’ve been on this  _ incredible _ adventure and I’ve already seen and learned so much.” He tried to persuade her as he smiled softly. “I even made friends.” 

“Oh, yes, the infamous wanted thieves, I’m so proud of you,” Suzy sneered and grabbed at Dan’s hands, pulling him forcibly toward her. “Come on, Danny. We’re going.”

“Mother, please just wait! I… I really like them, and I think they like me too,” the young man said shyly, biting at his lips. 

“'Like' you?” Suzy said in disbelief. “That’s demented!”

“Mother-”

“This is why you never should have left! Dan, this whole friendship that you’ve built up in your head, it doesn’t really exist! It just proves you’re too naive to be here,” Despite her harsh words Suzy leaned into Dan, holding his hands softly and smiling. “Why would you even want anyone else when we have each other? Why would they like you,  _ really _ , when they don’t even know you? I know you,” she raised a hand up to his cheek. “I know everything about you and I truly love you. I’m all you need, Danny, you know it’s true. Mother knows-”

“No!” Dan cried and tore himself away from Suzy, taking a few steps back. 

“No?” Suzy asked with wide eyes. “Oh,” the poisonous, evil like smile came back on her lips. “I see how it is.  _ Danny _ knows best, right? Danny’s so mature now, yeah? If you’re so sure, why don’t you give him  _ this _ ?” She holds up the satchel from the tower, throwing it over to him making it land against his chest with a dull thump. He held the bag with shaking hands, looking up at Suzy in disbelief. 

“How did you-” The question died quickly when Suzy gave him a weak shove before gesturing to the satchel.

“ _ That _ is why they’re here! Don’t let them deceive you, that’s all they wanted from the very beginning! Give it to them, and you’ll see,” 

“I will!” Danny snaps back weakly. 

“Trust me my dear,” Suzy snapped her fingers, “ _ that’s _ how fast they’ll leave you, and I won’t say I told you so, because  _ Danny _ knows best, right?” She headed back for the woods, flipping the cloak hood back over her head. Dan tried to follow her, calling out for her in worry.

“Mother, wait!”

But she was already gone, making Dan truly all alone.


End file.
